U.S. Department of Education Awards $50 million to Support Great Teaching and School Leadership

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Education awarded 12 new grants today totaling more than $50 million to support teachers and principals with evidence-based training and professional development. These grants are funded through the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program, which creates learning and career growth opportunities for aspiring and current educators serving students in high-need schools.

“Empowering educators with effective tools and ongoing support is a key part of ensuring every student succeeds in school, their career and their community,” said Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement Nadya Chinoy Dabby. “These organizations’ partnerships with schools across the country will create more opportunities for teachers and principals to continue learning and growing as they work hard to help all students succeed.”

This year’s SEED grants are part of a cohort that is nearly twice the size of prior years. Together, these 12 grantees will reach over 50,000 educators serving over 7.8 million students. SEED grantees will focus on supporting great instruction across a range of subject areas including science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); literacy; and civics.

Along with Teach to Lead, the SEED program is part of the Department’s strategy to create more opportunities for educators to take on leadership roles and responsibilities in their schools. These new SEED awards build on a portfolio of 9 prior and current SEED projects. Together, the earlier projects and the new grantees represent a $270 million federal investment in recruiting and supporting excellent educators over the next three years, contingent upon future Congressional appropriations.